From Sea to Shining Sea
by FlyKillaC
Summary: A sequel to my story The Two of Us. Ellie has a birthday wish, but will this birthday wish mean certain death for Ellie and Cameron? Rated M for language, intense violence, and sexual themes.
1. Chapter 1

From Sea to Shining Sea Ch.1 - An Adventure Begins

**A/N This story is a sequel to my story, The Two of Us so if you haven't read that, you should, otherwise it will be hard to follow. Without further ado, here is the story, enjoy**!

~~~~**Spring**~~~~

~~~Me~~~

I woke up feeling the absence of Ellie's warm body next to me. I threw the sheets off, stood and pulled on a pair of pants while rubbing the sleep from eyes. I fumbled with my belt buckle as I stepped out our bedroom door, I couldn't find my shirt from last night, so I didn't bother putting one on.

"Ellie?" I called from the top of the stairs.

"I'm down here!" She yelled back. Even though we were safe here in Jackson, I still had flashbacks to last winter whenever I didn't know where she was. I walked down the stairs and saw Ellie sitting at our small dining table, wearing my shirt.

"Oh, giving me my present early are you?" Ellie joked. I rolled my eyes at her remark.

"Happy birthday." I said as I walked past her and grabbed a ripe apple from the kitchen. I bit into the crunchy fruit, the tartness still surprising me even after eating them so often.

"What did you want to do today?" I asked, sitting down across from her.

"Oh I dunno, a little of this, a little of that." Ellie replied, taking a bite of her eggs she had obviously made earlier. Ellie's feet touched mine under the table, the coldness of them causing my own feet to jump backwards under my chair.

"Careful, you might end up with more than you can handle." I said.

"Yeah right." Ellie guffawed, finding what I said funny.

"Well if you don't want..." I started.

"No! I'm sorry, it was a joke." Ellie interrupted. I smiled at her reaction, leaning back in my chair as we finished our breakfasts.

"You didn't answer my question. What do you want to do?" I asked her.

"Well I've always wanted to go see this one thing, but it isn't exactly close." Ellie replied.

"Just tell me."

"I-I want to see the ocean." Ellie told me. I set down my apple core and put my arms on the table.

"You're right, it isn't close. You've never seen the ocean?" I asked. Ellie shook her head.

"All those years in Boston and you never saw the ocean?"

"We weren't close enough to the water to see it." Ellie responded. I took a deep breath.

"I'll talk to Tommy about it; he will have to give us permission to go." I told her. Ellie looked at me, a huge smile on her face.

"You mean you'd actually take me to see the ocean?" Ellie asked.

"I'd do anything for you." I responded, causing her to blush. "We should probably go get dressed if we are going to talk to Tommy." I said. Ellie looked at the shirt she was wearing.

"Might be a good idea since this is all I have on." Ellie said giggling.

"Is that so?" I asked, standing up from the table. Ellie giggled as she ran to the kitchen and put her plate in the sink. My shirt barely covered her, and she wasn't lying, she didn't even have any underwear on. I threw my apple core away and followed Ellie up the stairs.

"I don't know guys; Maria would kill me if anything happened to you." Tommy said, scratching his short beard.

"C'mon Uncle Tommy, we never ask for anything." Ellie pleaded.

"You mean besides a house?"

"Tommy. Please?" Ellie begged him.

"Fine, but you'll have to talk to Maria in the stable before you leave." Tommy said reluctantly. Ellie squealed like little girl and jumped up and down.

"Go start packing; I need to talk to Tommy." I told her. I kissed Ellie and sent her out of Tommy's house.

"Thank you Tommy." I said.

"You need to keep yourselves safe, I'm serious. No doing anything reckless or stupid because I can't lose you guys too." Tommy said seriously.

"Tommy, I've got this. I worked with Joel, remember?" I reassured him. Tommy sighed.

"Look where that got him." Tommy said sadly.

"I promise we will come back." I promised Tommy.

"I know, now go, you need to get ready." Tommy shooed me out of his house.

When I got home, Ellie had her backpack packed up.

"Yours is in the closet." Ellie informed me. I walked up the stairs and down the main hallway. I opened the closet door, staring at my bag lying on the floor. I picked it up, the last time I had it on was the last time I saw Joel. I went back downstairs and opened the weapons chest in the entryway, pulling out my 9mm and Joel's old six shooter. I checked both clips to make sure they had ammo, before checking that the safety was on. I grabbed Ellie's bow and her pistol, along with slinging my rifle over my shoulder. I handed Ellie her weapons, while I headed to where Ellie had laid out my essentials and I carefully put them in my bag.

"You ready?" I asked, pulling on my backpack, sticking my handgun in the waistband of my pants and Joel's revolver in my handmade holster.

"Ready as I'll ever be." She responded. I opened our front door for her, and quietly followed her out the door.

"Um, before we leave, can we go see Joel?" Ellie asked.

"I was planning on seeing him anyway." I told her. We walked around our house heading towards Joel's grave behind our house. We approached the memorial and I noticed that Joel's bag still hung from the tree above his resting place.

"I wish he could go with us." Ellie said sadly as we reached the headstone. I stared at the smooth stone that had been engraved with the words; _Here lies Joel, a beloved brother, friend, and father. May he rest in peace._

"I do too, but we can't change the past." I said turning towards her. Ellie had tears in her eyes and was studying the grave.

"I know, it's just, I feel he didn't know how much he meant to us." Ellie confessed.

"Ellie, we meant the world to him, and he was everything to us, and he knew that, even if he never said it." I reassured her.

"You're right." Ellie agreed, turning away from the grave. "Let's go. We've got our own journey now."

"All right you two, if I was you, I'd go up northwest to Washington, there'll be the least amount of bandits there." Tommy recommended.

"Sounds good." I replied, getting up onto the horse.

"Promise me you'll come back." Maria said.

"I promise." I said, placing my hand over my heart and then helping Ellie up onto our horse.

"You be safe now." Tommy said as the horse trotted out of the stable.

"Adios Tommy, we'll be back by this time next year at the latest." I told him, he gave a slight nod and guided us out through the main gate. I turned to look back at Jackson and saw Tommy and Maria standing in the road waving.

"It's been a while since we've been out by ourselves." Ellie pointed out.

"It sure has, it's been too long. I like it better when it's just the two of us." I confessed.

"Me too." Ellie responded, resting her chin on my shoulder as Jackson faded from our sight.

**A/N I am so very excited for this story. I've got a lot of what I think are amazing ideas. I hope that everyone who read my first story is here reading this. Anyway, thanks for reading, tell me what you think, or what you'd hope to see in a review, and as always, I'll see you in chapter 2!**


	2. Chapter 2

From Sea to Shining Sea Ch.2 - Boise

**(Revanite201) Thank you. I've read your story and I have enjoyed it immensely. Let's just say Cameron might break out into a little Rylan rage later in the story, in more ways than one...**

~~~~Summer~~~~

~~~Me~~~

I shifted painfully on the saddle of the horse, my back and necked ached from sitting up so straight as often Ellie was resting her head on my shoulder. It has been two months since we had left Jackson, and most of the journey was through scorched plains, the unforgiving sun sapping my will and energy, while at night the bone chilling wind forced us to curl up together as close to the fire as we could without catching on fire.

It was great.

"Ellie, look." I said, nudging her sleeping body with my shoulder and pointing to the horizon. In the distance, a city loomed before us, a dark reminder of our previous travel through Denver.

"What city is that?" Ellie asked me.

"Boise." I replied.

"Do you think there will be hunters?" She asked nervously.

"You never know, let's hope not." I said. I wasn't sure how anyone could stand to live here; it was flat, brown, and extremely hot. We rode on for a couple more hours, but Boise seemed to be the same distance away as when I had first spotted it.

"Fuck it. I can't go any further." I told Ellie, my discomfort driving me from the horse. I hopped off the horse, the dry grass scratching my legs. I stretched upwards, trying to relieve my sore muscles as best I could. I then helped Ellie off our horse.

"Why does it have to be so hot?" Ellie complained. I shrugged.

"At least we've got water." I said. The Snake River was on our left and we had been following it northwest ever since we had left Wyoming.

"Care for a swim?" Ellie asked me, stripping off her shirt and shorts, leaving her in her underwear.

"Well I'll swim since you still can't." I teased her.

"Hey! I'm learning!" Ellie said, hitting me playfully as she stepped into the water.

"Whoa! Geez that's cold!" Ellie shrieked as she submerged herself in the shallow, slow moving water. I stripped off my shirt, leaving my shorts on and unlaced my shoes before stepping into the icy water. I shivered as I sat near the bank, the water rising to my chest, watching Ellie as she attempted some of the strokes I had taught her earlier on our trip. The freezing water helped ease my aches, allowing me to relax in the shallow water and cool off. I closed my eyes, the only sounds were Ellie's splashing and a faint clicking.

My eyes shot open. "Ellie, quiet for a second." I ordered. She immediately stood and froze in place as the clicking slowly got louder and was now accompanied by some pained moaning.

"Clickers?" Ellie asked in a hush tone. I nodded as I slowly walked up the riverbed. Our horse was neighing nervously as I reached for my bag and grabbed Joel's revolver, pulling the hammer back with a sharp **_CLICK_**. I heard the dry grass crunch under feet as the shaking clicker came into view, emerging from behind a small pocket of trees. The clicker threw its body around erratically, trying to sense is among the nothingness separating us. I lifted the gun, aiming carefully before firing a single shot and watching the clickers head snap backwards as it dropped to the ground. Only then did I realize my mistake, as several runners came sprinting from the trees nearby. I fired at the rushing creatures, killing two while crippling a third and missing my other two shots. I threw the gun to the ground and drew my knife from my bag as the last three runners approached. I stopped the first one by blocking it across the chest with my arm and thrusting my knife into its eye. I grabbed the next one, twisting it around and kicking out its knee before severing its spinal cord. I turned as Ellie took on the last one, struggling against its ferocity, holding it back with both hands as they fell to the ground.

"Cameron!" Ellie called out as she fell. I ran to Ellie and kicked the runner's head, which was not a very good idea as I was barefoot. I sent it sprawling next to Ellie, cutting out its throat before it could stand.

"You okay?" I asked Ellie, helping her up.

"Peachy." She replied, brushing grass off of herself.

"I should probably think before I shoot next time." I said with a chuckle.

"You should probably just start thinking." Ellie giggled.

"Really Ellie?"

"Sorry." She apologized. By now the sun had started to set and the chilly wind had kicked up. I shivered, pulling my shirt back on as I untied our single sleeping bag from our tired horse.

"I'm going to get some firewood." I told Ellie, motioning to the small group of trees where the group of infected had hid. Most of the trees were thin and dead and I was able to snap off some good sized branches for the much needed fire. I returned back to where Ellie had dug a small hole for the fire, the temperature dropping fast as I struggled to light the fire.

"Why does it have to be so cold?" Ellie complained.

"Weren't you just complaining about being hot a little while ago?"

"Shut up."

I crawled into the sleeping bag with Ellie, our bodies pressed together. The bag was approved for subzero temperatures, but that didn't stop me from being cold.

"We should probably get to town tomorrow since we don't have any food left." I told Ellie, pulling her body against my own.

"Mmhh? Yeahhh." Ellie purred as my cold hands brushed her tummy. I kissed her exposed neck before falling asleep.

~~~Ellie~~~

Ellie stared up into the starlit sky, the amount of stars amazed her.

_How could there be so many_? She thought to herself, watching the stars twinkle and dance against the dark canvas of the sky, reminding her of Cameron's eyes when he watched her. That thought made her smile as she rolled onto her side to stare at the boy pressed against her. He was so different from her. Her usually pale but now burnt skin stood out against his darkened tan skin. His short, sandy blonde hair and her long, dark red hair. The thing that got Ellie though was his size. Cameron stood a full half a foot taller than her and outweighed her by at least 40 pounds and he made her feel small and weak. She didn't feel defenseless when she was by herself however; she had learned a lot when she was by herself and from Cameron, Joel, and Tommy. She knew she could take care of herself if she wanted to. But she didn't. Cameron shifted in his sleep, turning away from her, making Ellie pout. She finally let out a long sigh and allowed herself to fall asleep.

Ellie awoke to Cameron struggling to get out of the sleeping bag.

"Sorry." He mumbled standing and stretching before Ellie. She let out a yawn and slithered out of the sleeping bag, enjoying the cool morning air. Ellie rolled up the sleeping bag before strapping it to the horse as Cameron stomped out the remains of the fire. Ellie walked to the river, splashing the icy water onto her face, sending a jolt down her spine. She washed her face and hair in the water as Cameron sat impatiently on the horse.

"Ellie?" He called out to her.

"Oh hold your _horses_." Ellie joked.

"That was really bad."

"I know."

Cameron let out a frustrated sigh as he helped Ellie onto the horse. She instinctively wrapped her arms his waist as he spurred the horse into a trot.

_Gurrgh_! Ellie felt her stomach more than she heard it, but it was loud enough to make Cameron look over his shoulder.

"Hungry?" He asked.

"What do you think?"

Cameron smirked back at her. "I know something you can eat"

"Don't. Do not go there." Ellie warned

"You didn't even know what I was going to say!" He complained.

"Really? You boys are all the same."

Cameron sat up straight and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, but I'm not a boy."

"Well what are you then." Ellie asked. "Not a man." She added before he could answer.

"Uhh, something in between I guess. I think adolescent is the word?" He responded. Ellie just rolled her eyes.

They rode for several hours, the heat increasing with each passing hour. Boise was now just a few miles out and Ellie felt a shiver go through her, even with the heat. She did not like cities.

"Cameron? Something doesn't feel right." Ellie said worriedly, wrapping her arms even tighter around him.

"I know, but we need to stop here to scavenge some food." He reminded her, her stomach growled as he spoke.

Ellie grew restless as buildings started to pop up around them and increasing in size and amount the further they went. Cameron pulled the horse up in front of a dilapidated strip mall inside the city. He lowered himself from the horse with a low grunt before helping Ellie off. Ellie's eyes darted back and forth, scanning for any hidden dangers; she hoped there'd be none. Ellie tied the horse up to lamppost and grabbed Cameron's hand as he walked towards the strip.

"We are going to be fine." He reassured her, giving her hand a light squeeze.

"I know." She answered.

They approached the first store and Cameron pushed open the door and immediately a rancid smell sent Ellie's head spinning, but the sight before her almost caused her to throw up.

"Jesus Christ!" Cameron exclaimed, looking away.

**Everyone likes cliffhangers right? One thing I'm going to do differently in this series is make the chapters longer as the amount of chapters will probably be less than my last story. I also have a request from you guys, I'm looking for someone to create cover art for my story. If you're interested, PM me and we can go from there. Anyway, thanks for reading, leave a review and as always, I'll see you all in chapter 3!**


	3. Chapter 3

From Sea to Shining Sea Ch.3 - Chased

**Shout out to Revanite201. If you've read his story you'll figure out why later in this chapter. Check out his LoU story, it's pretty amazing. Anyway, enjoy!**

~~~Me~~~

I covered my face, the sight before me making me sick. The smell didn't help either. When I opened the door to the first store, it was nearly stuffed full of burned, rotting corpses. I slammed the door shut and pulled Ellie away from the store.

"That answers our question about hunters." I mumbled to myself, earning a glare from Ellie. I stepped back from the door and turned to a gun barrel in my face.

"I guess it does, doesn't it?" The man spat.

I stood frozen on the spot, staring the man down, conscious of the fact that I couldn't see anyone else with him.

"Now how about you hand over your pretty little friend there and I'll think about letting you go." He said, smiling at Ellie.

As soon as his concentration changed to Ellie, I acted. I grabbed his arm, tearing the gun from his hand and throwing it to the ground. I twisted his arm and broke it at the elbow, making the man scream in pain as he fell to his knees. I stepped back from the man and glanced at Ellie who took her knife and slashed his throat, his cries now muffled by his own blood and he fell to the ground dead.

"We need to get out of here." I said, grabbing Ellie's arm and pulling her towards our horse that was whinnying impatiently. I untied him from the lamppost and hopped up in front of Ellie, sending the horse into a gallop. Gunshots began erupting around us as we rode through Boise as fast as we could. I heard shouting and more shots behind us as a building nearly exploded with infected, sending dozens out into the street, blocking our pursuers from our path. I turned to look forward, only to knocked off the horse and hit the ground painfully. I stood up and was immediately grabbed from behind, my assailant attempting to choke me. I stomped on their foot, loosening their grip a bit before elbowing them in the stomach and ripping their arms off of me. I spun around to face them, in front of me was teen boy, my age, he was around my size but taller, had long, slicked back blonde hair, a wicked scar across his right eye, and soulless, icy blue eyes. He wore a black sheepskin jacket and black pants along with plated combat gloves for close quarter's fights.

"C'mon, show me what you got pretty boy." He taunted.

I stood my ground, keeping my distance from him, waiting to find a flaw in his stance or for him to swing first.

"I ain't got all day." He said, swinging at my face. I easily dodged it, but then his other fist struck fast and hit me in the stomach. I took the hit, staggering a bit as he kept trying to hit my face or head. I was able to deflect one of his blows, knocking him slightly off balance. I took my chance and swept his plant leg out from underneath him, sending him tumbling to the ground. I pinned his body to the ground and started to strangle him, his hands trying to push me off of him.

"Cameron stop!" I heard Ellie yell, pulling the horse beside us. I looked over at her, unsure of what to do, but then I saw the teen beneath me look surprised by Ellie's arrival. I released his throat and stood over him.

"God. I should've taken you more seriously. I thought you were a hunter." He told me.

"I thought the same." I replied, helping him up to his feet.

"The name is Rylan by the way." He introduced himself.

"I'm Cameron, this is Ellie." I said. I watched Rylan and Ellie exchange quick once overs before looking back at me.

"We need to go Ellie, now." I said, hoisting myself up onto our horse.

"In sorry Rylan, but we have to get away from these hunters." I explained.

"I've got a horse too." He shot back, his tone somewhat angry. I watched him run off down an alley and return a short while later on a horse. Rylan sped off down the road that led through Boise.

"I guess we're following him." I heard Ellie mumble to herself as we galloped after him.

By the time night had fallen, we had reached the other side of the city and set up camp inside a small grove of trees in a destroyed suburb. I watched Ellie sleep, not willing to fall asleep myself as I still didn't trust Rylan. Rylan did the same, I could feel his eyes on me as I sat propped up against a tree, his empty eyes glinted every so often which would send a shiver down my spine. The sound of wind was loud, the swish of the trees and the long grass accompanying its low whistle. The trees rustled unnaturally to my left, my head snapping to that side as I gripped my gun tightly.

"Something wrong?" Rylan asked.

"Shh. You hear that?" I responded. I watched Rylan try and strain his hearing, but could tell he couldn't hear the sound. He wasn't trained to listen by Joel.

"No I don't hear it." Rylan said, resting his head back against his tree. Now, the air was eerily still and I could hear every movement. Ellie's quiet breathing, Rylan's fingers tapping his leg, and the crunching of leaves from something walking. I looked over at Rylan who was still staring out into the trees. I slowly raises my gun and peeked around the tree, but I stared only into the inky blackness beyond the light of our fire. I could still hear something walking, and it stopped behind the tree I was leaning against. By now Rylan was staring at the space behind me, looking for the potential danger in the shadows. I heard it's quiet breathing, they were short and ragged, definitely human. Suddenly, the ground in front of me burst into flames, a Molotov shattering before me. I screamed as the fire lit my pant leg on fire, burning my skin before I could put it out. Rylan shot the person lurking behind me, I could tell from the soft **_thunk_** of their body hitting the ground.

"Shit! You okay?" Rylan asked me.

"I'm fine."

"What happened?" Ellie asked, sitting straight up in the sleeping bag.

"We've been found, it isn't safe here." I told her, standing and gathering our stuff as quickly as I could, strapping things to the horse as Ellie handed me more stuff. Rylan did the same, hopping up onto his horse. I helped Ellie up onto ours before pulling myself up.

"We need to go northwest. We have to reach the Columbia River, it'll take us straight to the coast." I said to Rylan, who nodded in reply. I could hear shouting in the distance as more hunters approached.

"We should go, but something tells me these hunters won't just leave us alone." Rylan said. He took off into the night, and I quickly followed him into the darkness.

**A/N I have to thank Revanite201 for letting me use Rylan in my story, if you haven't already go read his LoU story. I apologize for the wait; I was in Costa Rica this weekend with my girlfriend's family as my birthday present so I didn't have any way to write. Anyway, follow, favorite and leave a review. And as always, I'll see you all in chapter 4!**


	4. Chapter 4

From Sea to Shining Sea Ch.4 - Roll on Columbia

**Sorry everyone for the wait, but I got it done! Anyway, enjoy!**

~~~~**Fall**~~~~

~~~Me~~~

Some days we could see the hunters miles behind us and we were forced to move for days without sleep. Other times, we would go days with no trace of the hunters, getting our hopes up that maybe they got too tired to follow anymore only to see them again the next day.

We had crossed through northeastern Oregon without much trouble, just a few infected here and there, nothing we couldn't handle. Rylan had started acting strangely, he's been spending more and more time sitting by himself and stealing looks at Ellie who seemed to not notice, but I did. I kept a watchful eye on him, I still couldn't quite trust him, even with him fighting with us.

We were now in southeastern Washington, which was as boring as the rest of the trip, the only difference is that every day the temperature is dropping, but it still felt like late summer most days.

"Can you see them?" Ellie asked, kneeling beside me.

"No, but that doesn't mean they aren't there." I responded. I was crouched motionless on top of a hill, looking out across the vast plain before me.

"I know, but it is more comforting when we can't see them." She admitted.

"Really?" I asked somewhat surprised. "I think it's better when we can see them, so I know where they are at."

"Well it's a good thing I didn't ask." Ellie said.

"Hey! That's not very nice." I accused her. Ellie just rolled her eyes.

"It was a joke, calm down."

"Well we still got about an hour of light left, let's get back to the horses." I said, slowly standing. My joints popping as I stood.

"Hey!?" Ellie exclaimed, seeming hurt.

"What?"

"You forgot something!" She told me, standing up on her toes and kissing me before grabbing my hand.

"Is the ocean as beautiful as people say it is?" Ellie asked as we walked back to where Rylan and the horses were resting.

"On the right day, it is the most beautiful thing in the world. Besides you that is." I told her. (_That was really cheesy, I'm sorry_.)

"Stop it!" Ellie said, her face flushing red.

"Did you see them?" Rylan asked as we approached.

"Not today, let's put more distance between us today." I suggested, untying our horse and getting on before helping Ellie up.

"I wish they'd go away." Ellie said as we started northward.

"Don't we all?" I responded, looking over at Rylan who cast an expectant glance over his shoulder and across the plain before locking his eyes on Ellie. I watched him carefully, and hoped for his own good that he didn't do anything stupid.

"You okay?" I asked Rylan.

"What?" He responded, jumping a bit at my question. "Oh yeah, I'm fine."

"Then how about you stay focused. We can't afford to be daydreaming." I told him. Rylan scoffed at my remark, but looked forward once again.

We made our way up the steep slope to the crest of the dry, brown hill. At the top we could see the sparkling water of the Columbia. The view was breathtaking, literally in Ellie's case as she gasped audibly.

"It's so beautiful!"

"Wow." Was all I could say.

The river was very wide at this point, surrounded on both sides by steep banks covered with either sand or lush green grass. The water seemed calm, the surface barely rippling, but I knew that the river itself was very swift below the calm surface. The water reflected color from the banks around it, giving it a faint emerald green color when the light hit it right.

_Just like Ellie's eyes_. I thought to myself.

I felt Ellie clamber off the horse, she was transfixed by the water, her eyes had the same sparkle as the water below. I watched her run down the hill, kicking her shoes off in the process and throwing her backpack to the ground as she reached the thin, sandy beach below. I could hear her screech as she stepped into the chilly water and couldn't help but laugh as she quickly jumped out of the water.

"It's fucking freezing!" Ellie yelled up the hill. I chuckled at this, stealing a quick glance at Rylan who was staring off into the horizon, looking beyond the colors of the setting sun to something invisible to me.

I guided our horse down the hill towards the river. The air was warm and still as I reached the river bank. Leaving the horse to graze and drink, I took off my own shoes and socks while dropping my backpack on the ground, slowly making my way towards Ellie. The sky was glowing orange, the sun invisible behind the high plateau on the other side of the Columbia.

Ellie stood about calf deep in the water, watching the brilliant, dancing colors in the sky above.

"All this almost makes me forget about all the shit in the world." Ellie said as I stepped into the cold water. I stared at her as she looked up at the sky and back at the river.

"Do you think that there is anyplace where things are normal?" Ellie asked me.

"Define normal."

"Yeah, you're right. There is no normal anymore." She said looking down at her submerged feet. Something was bothering her, I could tell.

"Ellie?"

"Hm?"

"Ellie, I don't know what you're thinking right now, but I've got a feeling it has to do with what happened in Salt Lake City." I told her.

Ellie let out a deep sigh before speaking. "It's just, I wanted to let them save us. All of us. Everything would've been, _normal_." Ellie explained.

"Maybe for everyone else, but not for me, or for Joel." I said, turning to face her.

"They told me about the world before all... This." Ellie said. "They put this image in my head of a beautiful, unbroken world. I wanted the world to be whole again."

"I know Ellie. You were prepared to give everything to save us all. I was too selfish to let you." I told her.

"No you weren't." She interjected. "You did what you thought was right. I might've changed my mind if they had told me you were alive."

The silence that ensued was awkward. We both wanted to say more, but we didn't want to risk making the other angry.

"So uh... We staying here tonight?" Rylan asked as he stood on the shore.

I had forgotten that he was even with us and his voice made me jump a bit in surprise.

"Easy there." Ellie said, slipping her hand into mine as we turned to face Rylan.

Rylan seemed different now, he no longer gave off an aura of suspiciousness or malice. He was now focused on the world and was somewhat upbeat. He wore a shadow of a smile on his face, his eyes no longer so cold.

"I don't see why not." I told him, shrugging my shoulders. "But we should probably find a more protected area, don't want to be out in the open."

"I feel you. I'll check upstream a ways while you guys get your stuff together." He said, his horse trotting west along the bank of the Columbia.

Ellie and I stepped back onto the sandy bank, the sand coating our feet.

"Ewww!" Ellie complained as the sand squished between her toes and she jumped back into the water to clean them off.

"Here, I gotcha." I said. Ellie shrieked with laughter as I picked her up, carrying her like Joel had so long ago.

Ellie stared up at me as I walked up the beach and set her on the grass. She grabbed her shoes and socks, quietly slipping them on as I brushed wet sand off my feet before putting my own socks and shoes on. I picked up my backpack before heading to our horse who was laying in the grass a little ways away.

I coaxed our horse over to where Ellie sat on the grass, she was watching me the whole time, smiling as I swung myself onto the horse before helping her up. She wrapped her arms tight around me, squeezing me tight and resting her head on my back.

I could Rylan in the distance, traveling slowly as the ground dipped downward and the river slipping out of view ahead of us. Rylan soon also went below the dip, disappearing from my view.

When we came to where the river dipped, I could see a storage shed near the river and Rylan standing just outside it. The building was old and gray. It has no windows and looked as if a breeze could blow it over.

"Is it clear?" I asked Rylan as we approached him.

"I don't know, I haven't gone inside yet." He responded.

I hopped off the horse, helping Ellie off before joining Rylan by the boarded up door. I pressed my ear to the door. I couldn't hear anything, but that didn't mean nothing was inside.

"Ready?" I asked Rylan as I tore the boards from the door.

"Ready."

Rylan turned the handle and pushed. The door didn't budge an inch. He then pushed his body against the door, making it squeak loudly as the door opened slightly.

"Give me a hand will ya?" He asked, pushing once more against the door.

I stood beside him and pushed the metal inwards. Something was blocking the door, that much was obvious. I pushed harder, leading with my left shoulder. We pushed until the door swung open and there was a loud crash. Rylan and I fell to the ground as the door opened. Someone had barred the door with crates filled with earth in an attempt to seal either themselves in, or the outside world out.

I turned on my flashlight, scanning the empty building for any danger. Propped up against the far wall was a human skeleton.

"All clear!" I called out to Ellie who appeared beside me in the dark building.

The floor was barren concrete, cracked and gray. All the shelves were cleared of what they had once held.

"What do you think?" Rylan asked, pacing throughout the small building.

"This'll work. I'll get the horses inside." I told him, exiting the building.

I brought both horses through the door and led them to a corner where they could lie down. I unstrapped our sleeping bag from our horse, along with some extra blankets. I laid out our sleeping bag and pillow, stretching out on it when I was done and leaning up against the wall of the shed.

"Mind if I join you?" Ellie asked as she sat down in my lap and rested her head against my chest.

Rylan laid out some blankets near us, far enough for it to not be awkward for us.

"So Rylan." I started. He looked at me while waiting for my question. "We don't know much about you, what's your story?"

Rylan seemed unsure of what to say before starting. "What is there to say? I was born outside of any QZ's, not entirely sure where. My parents died when I was young, leaving me to wander around the Midwest with no real purpose." He told us. "What about you? What is your story?"

"Well." I started. "I was born just outside Tallahassee. My father was a drunk, my mother wasn't built for an apocalypse. I ran away when a pack of infected broke into our town and made my way north to Boston where I met Ellie and this guy Joel, who sadly isn't with us anymore."

I saw Rylan nod slowly, listening to my every word before Ellie started her story.

"I was born in Boston, never met my parents. Just like any other kid in any zone, I went to school, had military drills, and generally had a shitty time. I left Boston with Joel and Cameron to go find the fireflies." Ellie explained.

"So why are you two all the way out here?" Rylan asked.

"She," I said motioning at Ellie. "Wanted to see the ocean."

"Really?"

"Really."

Rylan studied us for a moment before lying down.

"Interesting." Was all he said before he turned away from us.

The shed fell silent besides the noises of Rylan's and the horses breathing. I felt Ellie's body slowly relax on top of me. I sighed, slightly upset about how I would have to sleep, but eventually succumbed to exhaustion and the sound of slow, steady breathing.

**Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a review and fav/follow. As always, I'll see you all in chapter 5!**


	5. Chapter 5

From Sea to Shining Sea Ch.5 - Long Beach

~~~Me~~~

The days were getting noticeably shorter and colder. Most days the sky was overcast and it would rain. The upside was that the landscape was no longer boring. Towering evergreens and the Columbia lined the old highway we traveled along, the salty smell of the ocean accompanying the trees sweet scent. In the distance above the treetops, you could see snow capped mountains. While most days it rained, I found it even more beautiful when it did.

"We're almost there, look." I said to Ellie, pointing at the faded green road sign that read. **"Long Beach City Park Next Exit"**

Ellie looked over my shoulder and studied the sign.

"Do you think that the hunters are gone?" She asked.

I had hoped she wouldn't bring up the hunters. We hadn't seen the hunters for about a month, but I had a feeling they were still there.

"I don't think so. Let's not talk about them right now." I told Ellie.

Luckily, it wasn't raining today and the sky was actually clear for once. The day was cool and crisp, a slight breeze would rustle us occasionally, but other than that the air was still.

The three of us took the next exit, slowly making our way down the destroyed off ramp.

"I think you two are crazy for doing this." Rylan said shaking his head.

"Everyone's a little crazy, I just happen to be crazier than most of them." I told him.

"Very true." Rylan chuckled.

We continued down the road until we saw a street sign that marked the entrance to the beach. The road was lined with trees, blocking our view of the ocean and we stopped before turning into the park. I hopped of the horse, Ellie quickly following me.

"Leave your socks and shoes here." I told Ellie who obeyed and slipped them off her feet.

"Alright baby. You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Ellie responded. I saw Rylan roll his eyes at us as we stepped around the corner into the remains of a very large parking lot. Stretched beyond the parking lot was the beach and the vast expanse of the ocean. It was currently low tide so the beach expanded far. Ellie's eyes gleamed as she stared at sight before her.

"It's... Amazing!"

Ellie left my side running to the beach, laughing with joy. Rylan walked past me, shaking his head and chuckling as he did.

The ocean was picturesque today. The deep blue waters of the pacific sparkled in the distance while the closer, shallower water glowed white blue, revealing the pearly sand beneath it. As Ellie ran towards the beach, she startled a flock of seagulls who took of into the air while screeching impossibly loud.

I joined Rylan in walking towards the beach, watching Ellie as she stood ankle deep in the water, staring out across the vast expanse of the water. I stood on the beach, just beyond where the water reached.

"It's so huge!" Ellie said over her shoulder as Rylan and I stood behind her.

"What's out there?" She asked.

"Water."

"No shit, really?"

"More land, continents and..."

***GROAN***

My sentence was cut off by a horde of infected and clickers rushing onto the beach.

"Shit! We gotta go!" Rylan said, whipping out his gun and firing rounds into the horde.

Ellie and I produced our own weapons, shooting at the mass approaching us before turning and running.

"Fuck my shoes!" Ellie yelled, slicing her foot on a shell.

"Ellie!" I called out, shooting an infected that had caught up to us and grabbed Ellie as she hobbled forward.

Ellie tumbled to the ground as the runner's body collapsed on top of her. Ellie screamed and shot wildly as infected and clickers alike converged on her. A pile of dead infected fell upon her, covering her as the horde devoured their slaughtered instead of Ellie.

The horde had split into three groups now, one after each of us. I saw Rylan take off down the beach, occasionally firing shots over his shoulder.

I stumbled backwards as I tried running from the group chasing me. I slipped in the sand trying to stand, barely avoiding a flailing clicker before regaining my composure and fleeing into the trees that lined the beach.

There were perhaps a dozen or so chasing me as I ran through the tightly packed trees. I turned to fire at an infected who got to close, only to here the empty click off my gun. I had no time to reload. The runner grabbed me, his teeth gnashing at my throat as he tried to bite me. I tumbled to the ground, jarring my body, causing my grip to slip on the runner's throat. I instinctively threw up my arm, feeling his teeth dig into the flesh and muscle on my right arm. I screamed in pain as it ripped a chunk off my arm. With my free arm, I fumbled for my knife, wielding it in time to stab the runner in the chest and throw him off of me.

I stood slowly, clutching my arm and attempting to reload my gun. Luckily for me, the rest of the group following me had trouble navigating the thick roots of the evergreens surrounding us and lost me in the woods. I slowly crept out from the woods, my arm throbbing in pain. I looked around and saw Rylan helping Ellie out of the pile of dead bodies. My legs shook violently as I approached them, my head spinning as well.

"Oh my god!" I heard Ellie exclaim as she saw my arm.

Rylan turned to face me, his eyes flashed with surprised before he pulled his gun on me.

"Get on your fucking knees!" He ordered.

"Rylan I..."

"Now!"

I slowly eased myself onto my knees, the sand sticking to my knees. I could feel blood dripping from my arm, soaking my pant leg and the sand beneath me.

"Rylan wait!" Ellie shouted, stepping in front of me just before Rylan pulled the trigger.

"For what? He's infected. It's the only thing we can do."

"Rylan, we're immune." Ellie explained, rolling up her sleeve and exposing the scarred flesh on the inside of her arm before grabbing my blood soaked left hand and showing Rylan my scarred bite mark.

"No. There's no way..." Rylan trailed off.

"These are from almost two years ago Rylan, you have to believe me." Ellie begged him.

I watched Rylan slowly lower his gun. "Alright."

That was the last thing I heard before I fell face first into the sand, losing consciousness before hitting the ground.

~~~Ellie~~~

Cameron had an unnatural tendency to lose consciousness. Once again, he lay before Ellie, face first in the sand.

"Shit." Ellie muttered to herself, rolling Cameron onto his back.

"You think you can carry him?" Ellie asked Rylan.

"Maybe." Rylan responded, kneeling down and struggling to lift Cameron's limp body.

"Hold on a sec." Ellie said, pulling a rag out of her bag and tightly wrapping Cameron's blood soaked arm.

Rylan readjusted his grip on Cameron before following Ellie towards where they had left the horses. Ellie untied the horses and led them down the road, Rylan following behind her.

"We need to find a place to stay and fast. It'll be night soon." Ellie said to Rylan who grunted in response.

Ellie continued down the road until she came upon a series of long driveways. She picked the first one and led Rylan down towards the beach house at the end of the drive. Ellie was amazed by the size of the house, she had seen some big houses, but this one was the largest she had stayed in. She managed to open the rusted garage door and left the horses in the garage, she then entered the house, following Rylan.

Rylan dropped Cameron on a couch and was left breathing heavily from his efforts.

"Rylan, help me look for medical stuff. Just grab anything that could be helpful." Ellie instructed.

"Yes ma'am."

Ellie looked through the bathrooms, finding only expired hydrogen peroxide and some painkillers, while Rylan had managed to scavenge some gauze, thread, a pair of scissors, and antibacterials.

Ellie examined Cameron's torn arm. Unlike his previous shoulder wound, this one was wide and part of the muscle had been ripped out. It sickened Ellie to look at his mangled flesh, but she had to do _something_.

Ellie set about cleaning the wound and the area around it. Luckily, none of the tendons in his arm had been severed as Ellie would have no way to fix them. Ellie set about stitching the wound as best she could then wrapping it tight to keep pressure on it.

"Alright." She started. "He should fine, hopefully."

"He will. Cameron's a tough son of a bitch." Rylan reassured her.

"I know, but sometimes I worry he may try to be _too_ tough." Ellie admitted.

Ellie worried about Cameron very often. Sometimes he acted as if he were invincible and would do something reckless and headstrong. Ellie wasn't sure what she would do if she lost Cameron.

"Well with all three of us. No amount of bandits or infected stand a chance."

"Everyone can die Rylan." Ellie told him.

"But not everyone can be killed." Rylan said, turning to leave Ellie with Cameron's unconscious body and her thoughts.

**A/N Busy week this week for me but I got it done. Please review! I really want to know what you guys think. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and as always, I'll see you in chapter 6!**


	6. Instinct

From Sea to Shining Sea Ch.6 - Instinct

~~~Ellie~~~

Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. She could feel it.

"Rylan?" She called out into the night. She could hear him sit straight up.

"What?" He asked annoyed.

"Do you hear that?"

"No." He answered immediately, crashing back down to the ground.

Ellie scooted up against the cold wall, hugging her knees close to her body. She didn't often sleep away from Cameron, she hated to do it, but Ellie had let Cameron rest on the worn out mattress she had found. She listened carefully to the howling wind and pounding rain outside, a sick feeling growing in her stomach. Ellie held her breath, concentrating as best she could, just as Joel had taught her, for something out of the ordinary. She let out a long ragged breath as soon as she heard it again.

_Footsteps_? She thought, but the the rain and wind were too loud for her to distinguish the sound.

"Rylan?!"

"Shut the hell up! I hear it now." He responded rudely.

There was a loud bang as somewhere downstairs a door was slammed open, echoing through the empty halls. Ellie could now hear hushed voices and the squeaking of shoes on the wood floors. Rylan stood up quickly and began pushing things in front of the door. Once Rylan had barricaded the door he stepped backward and fumbled around for his gun.

"Quick, in here!" He ordered in a shushed voice, grabbing Ellie and pulling her into a closet.

Rylan held her tight, his heartbeat seemingly synced with hers. He was warm and Ellie suddenly felt comforted again as she absentmindedly nestled into his chest.

"Ellie stop." He said nervously.

Ellie's face flushed with heat and she loosened her hold on him. Ellie could hear people coming up the stairs towards the room they were holed up in. She held her breath as someone tried to open the door. There was a loud crashing sound as the furniture in front of the door toppled over.

"Camer-" Ellie was cut short by Rylan's hand being placed over her mouth.

"Well here's one of 'em." She heard a hunter say.

"Looks pretty beat up to me, maybe they left him here?" One said.

"Fuck that man. They're probably out getting supplies or something."

"In the middle of the night?"

"Well what are we doing?"

"You got a point. Let's just grab this one and get out of here."

Ellie heard a hunter grunt as he assumedly picked Cameron up off the bed and walk out the door.

"What are we doing?" She asked Rylan angrily, but quietly. "We have to go save him!"

"Ellie, we will. Just calm down a second. It wouldn't have done us any of good to jump out at them. It's hard to save someone if you're dead." Rylan said calmly.

"Yeah, you're right." Ellie admitted.

"You can let go now, Ellie."

Ellie again flushed red as she realized she was still holding Rylan tightly and stepped away from him. Rylan threw the closet door open and stepped back into the dark room. Ellie stood and stared at the empty bed, now realizing the weight of their situation.

"Oh my god" She exclaimed. "He's gone." She said, moving to the empty mattress, her emotions overwhelming her as she traced the imprint Cameron had left on the bed with her fingers.

She felt Rylan stand next to her and awkwardly try to console her. She jumped as his hand touched hers, making her arm and hand tingle. She quickly pulled her hand, confused by her now conflicting feelings.

"We should go." She told Rylan, backing away from him.

"I agree."

~~~Cameron~~~

The pain woke me. My arm burned and my body ached and bled as the hunters would take turns beating me.

"What's the matter pretty boy? You don't have you're pretty little girl here to help you?" One jeered as he punched me in the face.

All I did in response to their taunts and insults was smile.

"What're you smiling for? You into that kinky shit?" They would ask while laughing.

"I can't wait for your friends to show up." On told me. "I just want to get my hands on that girl of yours." He said grinning, showing his yellowed, rotted teeth.

I struggled with how to escape. They always kept someone watching me, as in sitting in a chair in front of me, plus I was tied down to a chair.

It was during one of their watch changes when I decided what I was going to do, after I finally snapped.

"Too bad your friends abandoned you. I bet they're off living their lives happily ever after without you." He said standing over me.

I glared at him, something overcoming me that I hadn't felt in a long time, and as he leaned in to whisper something in my ear, I released it. I jerked my head forward and tore at his neck with my teeth, the metallic taste of his blood filling my mouth as I tore open his throat and he fell to the ground choking and grabbing at his wound. Blood coated my lips and chin as I watched him bleed out on the floor.

"Too bad you're fucking dead." I muttered as his body became still.

I had managed to loosen the knot that bound my wrists and slipped my left hand out, then my right. I rubbed the soreness from the joints before untying my legs and standing shakily. I may be weaker now than normal, but the taste of the hunters blood awoke a sick instinct that constantly gnawed at me. My body twitched involuntarily and I licked the blood from my lips, it's taste very familiar to me. I opened the door to my small, dark cell and shielded my eyes from the bright light that filtered through the boarded up windows.

A guard stood at the end of a hallway, facing away from me. I stumbled towards him, thirsty and rabid. The darkest parts of my being needing to be nourished. I made sure to make the least amount of noise possible as I approached, my vision narrowing, turning hazy and the only thing I could think about was the taste of his blood. I grabbed the hunter from behind and bit into his neck, his hot blood spurting into my mouth as I ripped the flesh from his neck and he fell to the ground gurgling.

I suddenly felt sick and threw up on the guards corpse. The other side of me trying to pull myself back into reality.

The last few moments had been a blur to my human side. I stared at my bloody hands and the body below me, a bitter, metallic taste in my mouth.

"What did I do?" I asked myself.

"What you needed to." I responded.

It was as if two people occupied my body now, both clawing to take control of me. I was broken.

"Stop!" I yelled, grabbing my head.

"Don't fight it."

"Get the fuck out of my head!"

My head throbbed violently, driving me to my knees. My head felt as if it was splitting apart as I argued and fought with myself.

I finally collapsed to the ground completely exhausted, the pain returning to my body, but diminishing in my head as my normal thoughts returned. I laid face down on the cool concrete floor, shaking violently as I recovered. I could hear commotion in the distance, but the only I concentrated on was not dying.

"What is happening to me?" I sobbed.

**A/N Ok so Cameron went off the deep end. Just to answer future questions, Cameron is not a cannibal. You'll find out later why this is happening to him. Anyway, thanks for reading, LEAVE A REVIEW. Seriously, it really helps to know what you guys think. As always, I'll see you all in chapter 7!**


	7. Comatose

From Sea to Shining Sea Ch.7 - Comatose

**A/N I'm back! Sorry about the long wait, high school soccer started and our coach has us doing 3 1/2 hour practices so I haven't had the energy to write. **

~~~Ellie~~~

"Through here." Rylan whispered, pulling open a vent that led into an old abandoned school where Ellie had tracked the hunters.

The Inside of the vent reeked of piss and rotten flesh. Ellie scrawled through the right confines of the metal tube, careful not to touch anything that littered the sides.

"Oh fuck." Ellie exclaimed as she stared through the grate at the other end of the vent.

Inside were piles of bodies stripped of their belongings.

"Let's hope none of those are Cameron." Rylan said as Ellie opened the grate and stood in the room.

"He's alive, I know he is." Ellie told him optimistically.

Rylan let out a long sigh. Ellie could tell that Rylan didn't share the same optimism. They snuck quietly down a long hallway, carefully avoiding any hunter that happened to wander towards them.

"Shit the kids out!" Ellie heard someone yell from the end of the hallway. Ellie and Rylan shrunk into the shadows as all the hunters they passed went sprinting to the end of the hallway.

"Might as well follow them." Rylan said with a shrug.

Ellie nodded in agreement and followed Rylan down the hallway and turned left into a cafeteria. The room was littered with trash and scraps of rotten food.

"Something seems wrong." Rylan said, stopping in the middle of the cafeteria.

"What? I don't hear anything."

"Exactly. No gunshots." Rylan told her.

"Well that means he isn't dead, right?" Ellie asked.

"We'll see." Rylan answered as he moved to the other end of the cafeteria.

Ellie followed him through the swinging double doors into another, long, narrower hallway. She could hear some muffled screams and terrified cries down around the corner.

"Shit!" Rylan said, taking off at a run down the hallway, Ellie close behind.

As they neared where the hallway turned, Ellie could hear crying and a harsh gurgling noise coming from around the corner. From around the corner, a man crawled out, his throat ripped open, spilling his sticky blood on the tiles.

"Help me!" He gurgled before slumping down lifeless.

"How did the infected get in?" Ellie whispered to Rylan.

"Sh! They could still be here!" Rylan hushed her while pressing himself against the wall.

The sobbing continued, accompanied by a sickening crack and a wet squelching noise as a body got ripped apart. Rylan peeked around the corner, grimacing, but something was wrong. The confused look on his face told Ellie everything.

"You've got to fucking see this." Rylan whispered to her.

Ellie leaned forward past Rylan to look around the wall. The adjacent hallway was littered with several bodies, each with either throats torn open or chests ripped apart. Ellie scanned the area until she spotted Rylan's anomaly. Kneeling in the middle of the room was Cameron. Twitching a sobbing hysterically. Ellie watched him then collapse to the ground, seizing.

"Cameron!?" Ellie called out to him.

Cameron's head turned slowly towards her as he stopped twitching. His face and hands were coated in blood, a terrified look in his eye.

"Get out of here!" He yelled.

Ellie stood motionless in the hallway, a strange mixture of emotions filling her. She stared deep into Cameron's pained, misty eyes and watched as they glazed over and he began twitching and seizing again.

"Make it stop!" He screamed in pain, clutching at his head.

Ellie ran to his side, attempting to soothe and calm him in the throes of his pain. Cameron eventually began to calm down again and Ellie pressed herself into him.

"We should get him out of here." Rylan suggested. "I'll carry him, let's go."

~~~Me~~~

Pain. All I could feel was pain. My body ached and burned as I had seizure after seizure. I was unable to eat as most food made me sick. I lay whimpering on a mattress, Ellie curled up beside me the entire time.

In the times I was conscious and able to think clearly, all I did was hold Ellie, her hair splayed out across my chest as I tried to maintain control over my mind. Ellie somehow helped me through the worst of whatever was happening to me, it felt as if my pain and suffering were dulled when she was there.

After three days of being bedridden, I was able to stand. My fever lifted soon after and the seizures were now uncommon, but my mind would be forever damaged. I struggled internally with different dark desires threatening to take me over.

But I was alive.

"You ready?" Rylan asked me as I shouldered my backpack.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I replied, smiling at Ellie as she gripped my arm tightly.

"Good. Northward it is." He said as we stepped through the door.

I took a deep breath, savoring the salty smell of the sea mixed with the sweet smells of the evergreen forests.

"North?" Ellie asked confused.

"I've got a place I want to show you two, I know you'll like it." Rylan answered as he hopped onto his horse.

"Sounds fine to me." I said. "Long as we are out before Winter ends."

"We will, _trust me_."

**A/N In the game, they never described how people turn and this is my adaption of what happens when somewhen turns and what happened to Cameron. Cameron suffered some symptoms of being infected, but he is able to naturally suppress them except for when he comes in contact with some triggers. (uninfected blood, extreme threat etc.) Anyway, with school sports starting, would you guys want longer chapters with a longer wait or short chapters with a short wait? Leave a review and I'll see you all in chapter 8!**


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys, I'm here just to let you all know that I'm putting my series on pause. It's just too difficult for me to write right now and I don't want my writings quality to decline. I apologize, but I'll be back in April. Anyway, I hope you can understand, don't forget to favorite, **follow**, and **review**, I'll see you all in Ch.8 in April

~C


End file.
